With the lack of wet straw in 2018, we concentrated on comparing the design differences rather than gauging performance of the test machines to lift and condition wet swaths and, if necessary, move them over to the side. Scandinavian farmers also like to use these machines to offset big volume grass rows for silage making, which explains the huge hood on the Elho.

The humble conditioner or wuffler is a tool that has been around for generations, yet it can still provide an ideal solution for fluffing up saturated straw swaths. Sadly, last season’s bone dry crops were not the ideal proving ground for our comparison of four different makes. Pointless exercise? Not at all. There’s still plenty to talk about